Stridency: Sequel to Silence
by Miyakai Valentine
Summary: Stridency: Strident [strahydnt]adjective: 2. having a shrill, irritating quality or character
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **FFVII and respective characters belong to Tetsuya Nomura/Squeenix.

**Author's Note: **A couple of people asked for more at the end of "Silence" and after months and months of thinking, here it is. The sequel chapter-fic to "Silence." Enjoy.

* * *

Three months had passed since the incident.

Reno had been hospitalized for one of those months, due to his considerable blood-loss. Elena also was kept under close surveillance until the doctors were sure that she would make a quick recovery. Both of the Turks survived with nothing more than small scars, serving as reminders of that day.

* * *

Reno awoke the sound of his alarm blaring, the echo resonating inside his head. He grunted in irritation and swatted at the alarm clock on his bedside table, effectively knocking it off of said table, but not deactivating the alarm.

_Groan._

"I'm going to shoot you dead, you fucking alarm clock," Reno muttered, rolling over and falling out of bed. As he laid on the floor – or rather, the mess of dirty clothes _covering_ the floor – he sighed. Ignoring the blaze of the alarm clock, the bright morning sun shining through the window, and the pain in his rump from his landing, he stood and stretched. The feeling of his muscles contracting as he reached toward the ceiling was refreshing, but the feeling of the scar tissue on his stomach pulling at his still-healing muscles sent a searing pain up towards his chest.

"Damn it," He growled, though not very enthusiastically. Bending over carefully, he picked a soiled white shirt off of the floor and inspected it. Deeming it clean enough for work today, he slung it on, pulling the sleeves over his arms and buttoning it halfway. He then tugged on a pair of pants, zipping them but leaving them unbuttoned, and threw on his jacket.

With little effort, he grabbed the alarm clock and gave it a jerk, tearing the cord from the wall and silencing it's wailing. Relieved at the newfound silence, Reno picked his goggles off of his bedside table and pulled them over his head, readjusting them to rest on his forehead, and tucked his mullet into a ponytail holder.

Grabbing his Electro-Mag Rod he sighed, looking around his landfill of an apartment.

"Okay. Ready to go," And with that, he walked out, shutting his door and jiggling the doorknob, effectively knocking the broken lock into place.

* * *

The gentle sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore brought Elena peacefully out of her slumber. Her new alarm clock that had different settings – sounds to help her fall asleep, and sounds to wake her up (gently, mind you) – was helping her recovery along quiet nicely. It was true, she had been out of the hospital for nearly a month now, but her mentality was still a bit unstable. Tseng had suggested that she take some time off to get her head back in order, but she wouldn't hear anything of it.

She was a serious woman, at least when it came to her work, and she wouldn't let anything stop her from doing it. Even when she first awoke in the hospital, her left side bandaged from the bullet wound, and the needle of an IV in her hand, the first thing she thought of was work.

However, with some strong words and a stern look, Tseng quickly put that thought out of her mind.

"You're here to recover, Elena, not to make yourself sick with stress," he had said, exasperated, but appreciative of her extreme work ethic. "Whatever work there is to do, Rude and I can handle until you and Reno have recovered and are allowed to come back to work. If worst comes to worst, we'll have someone replace you temporarily – like you did for Reno when he was injured. Do you understand?"

Of course, the man's Wutain accent had hypnotized her as it always did, and she had agreed without much of a fuss at all.

Now fully awake, Elena reached over, and with a skilled ease, pressed the "Alarm Off" button, instantly stopping the calming sounds of the ocean. Rolling over, she sat upright and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Stretching, the scar tissue in her side giving a slight tug, she yawned and stood. Grabbing her bathrobe from a hook beside her bedroom door, she threw it on and went into the kitchen to make some coffee.

Looking towards the clock, her eyes widened. Was it really that late already? Forgetting about her half-made coffee, she ran back to her room and quickly got into uniform, grabbing her gun and holster and making a run for the door.

* * *

As Elena bustled into the conference room, Tseng arched a single eyebrow at her late appearance.

"Elena," he remarked, sounding almost amused, "First Reno's early, and now you're late. Are the two of you switching roles today?" He failed to comment on her disheveled appearance as well, although it was not comparable to Reno's.

Elena took a seat at the table, setting her bag beside her seat and her coffee (which she purchased from a café on her to work that morning) on the table before her. Rude silently passed her one of the prepared reports sitting on the table, and she smiled gratefully at him, a sort of apologetic look in her eyes. Reno grinned smugly at her from his seat directly across from her, leaning back in his seat with his hands tucked casually behind his head. She contemplated throwing her hot coffee on him for a moment before the thought passed – that was no way to get a promotion, although she was sure Tseng would find it entertaining.

The already silent room grew even quieter as Rufus entered the room, followed by Reeve Tuesti, head of the WRO.

"I'm not going to waste time with introductions – you all know why you're here," Rufus stated as he stepped up to the head of the table and Reeve took a seat beside Elena, smiling warmly at the girl. She returned the gesture with a small nod before turning her attention to Rufus.

"As ShinRa Company continues to get back on it's feet, looking for new and better sources of energy, we have decided to aid the WRO in it's efforts. You all know that my family is responsible for most of the damage that has been done to this world-"

"Now, Rufus," Reeve interrupted the young man, not feeling comfortable with that statement, "You and your family are not all to blame. A lot of the damage that was done was because of Sephiroth, Meteor…many other things besides ShinRa Company's influence."

Rufus nodded slightly at this, a small smirk on his lips as he regarded Reeve.

"That is true. But I still feel responsible for the damage that my Company has done alone – the dropping of the plate on Midgar, for example. Unfortunately, those things can never be repaired or resolved, so we must point our efforts elsewhere. Thus the money will we be sending the WRO until it's goals are achieved," as he continued, the plan for aiding the World Restoration Organization was discussed and revised, and Reeve and Rufus came to an agreement on the money that was to be leant to the WRO every month for projects and general funding because, "The WRO is not making enough progress with what little funding it has left."

After the meeting, Tseng and Rude returned to whatever it was they had been doing prior to the conference, as Rufus and Reeve returned to the Executive's office for further discussion of their plans.

As Elena stood from the table, tucking her copy of the conference report and plans under her arm, she slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder and picked up her now-empty cup of coffee. Turning to throw said cup away, her view and general path to the trashcan was blocked by a certain redhead.

"What are you doing, Reno?" She frowned deeply, his smirk unnerving her to no end.

"Oh, you know, just want to say thanks and everything for saving my life – I mean, you kept me conscious while we were waiting, and if you hadn't been there then I'd probably be toast right now. Since this is the first time we've seen each other since…well, since what happened. Feel like I owe ya' thanks. So thanks," his smirk continued to grow as he spoke, until he was all-out grinning at the female Turk.

"Oh. You're welcome, then," she responded half-heartedly, her voice void of any general emotion as she made to side-step him to reach the trash. He stepped along with her, however, still managing to block her reach of the garbage, and her way out. She continued to look at him with distaste for a quiet moment before she spoke again.

"You said thank you, what more do you want?" She continued to frown, eyeing the man in front of her up and down with a general look of disgust.

"Nothin' much," Reno said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Just…you remember what we were talking about while we were waiting in that…dismal hallway?" His grin grew a little wider. Elena's frown deepened.

"Unfortunately," She said, then added as a counter, "Is the word 'dismal' even in your vocabulary? Or did you just hear it somewhere, not knowing what it meant, and figured you'd give it a try?" Reno simply shook his head, choosing to ignore her comment about his vocabulary.

"Well, I've had my drink already, as I'm sure you know," He continued, slinging his Electro-Mag Rod over his shoulder as he spoke, then grasping it with both hands and sort of hanging his arms off of it as he looked towards the woman suggestively.

"I can smell it, yes," Elena's eyebrow raised, impatient for him to get to the point.

"And I'm sure you remember the other thing I wanted…I mean, you've got the memory of a Midgar Zolom," he drawled, and Elena was certain now that he was simply trying to waste her precious time.

"It must have slipped my mind," She said with obvious distaste, displeased at being compared to such a creature; did a Midgar Zolom even have that great of a memory? She would have to look into it, as she was certain Reno didn't know.

The man leaned forward, his eyes narrowing slightly and his voice lowered.

"C'mon, you remember," he urged as the blond leaned back as to avoid being any closer to her co-worker, "A…blowjo-"

The sharp sound of Elena's hand meeting Reno's face echoed through the empty conference room.

"You pig!" She snarled, now completely disgusted as she pushed past him, angrily tossing her empty coffee into the garbage and storming out of the room. Reno walked out of the room laughing and holding his face, which was now an attractive shade of pink.

"Is that a no?" He shouted after her as she stomped down the hallway towards the elevators. The only response he received was Elena's frustrated shriek as the elevator doors opened and a few terrified interns hurried out, eyeing her uneasily as she entered the elevator and began pressing the 'Door Close' button with vigor.

"I guess that's a no," Reno shrugged, still grinning as he turned and began to walk in the opposite direction towards the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **FFVII and respective characters belong to Tetsuya Nomura/Squeenix.

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry to everyone who's been waiting for another chapter of this. I seriously don't know what's been wrong with me, but I'm back into the swing of things again (I hope) and will (hopefully...) be putting out more chapters and stories at a decent rate now. I hope everyone enjoys this, and sorry again that it took so long. xx; Please review! They make me write more. :3

* * *

"Good morning, Elena," someone greeted as the blond exited the elevator, but she didn't notice, rather blinded by her rage. Reno certainly had a way of getting under her skin, and he seemed to take advantage of that ability at every turn, so much so that Elena was beginning to wish that she had stayed home for a few more weeks.

However, there was work to be done and she wasn't going to continue to let Rude do all of her work for her while she was gone on leave, so putting up with Reno's shenanigans would be crucial. She was just unsure at the moment of how she was supposed to do that, considering she knew that this morning was only one of many that she would have to put up with Reno. Not to mention that he had really only skimmed the surface of the many things he could do to irritate her, and Elena was wise enough to know that there was still more to come.

"Elena?" the person whom had previously greeted her tried again, concern in their voice as she glowered dangerously toward the stairs.

"Reno," she hissed, seeing the unmistakable shock of red headed her way, a crooked grin upon the face of the lean man.

"Good morning, Reeve," Reno greeted nonchalantly, as though he weren't actually there to make Elena miserable, and the executive nodded in greeting, sending Elena a final withering glance before excusing himself. Elena felt the urge to dash after Reeve as he retreated, but she restrained herself from calling after him, begging for salvation from her torture.

"What do you want, Reno?" She growled furiously, hands fisted at her sides. The redhead simply kept his grin, shifting his weight slightly as he shrugged aimlessly. "The answer is no, so don't bother asking again."

Reno seemed to find this amusing, as he began chuckling, running a hand through his untamed locks. This prospect made Elena very uneasy, because anytime Reno found something funny she was sure to be in eminent danger, or at least that's what she surmounted it to.

"Well actually," Reno began, and Elena frowned as she mentally noted that this was not a proper way to start a sentence, and that Reno was once again wasting her time.

"I'm over the blowjob," he continued, and Elena wondered if she should really welcome the feeling of relief that pushed at the back of her mind. "I'm out for something bigger this time." Elena groaned.

"What ever it is, no," she growled, pushing past him rather violently and striding off toward the direction of her office. Reno however, unfazed, turned and grinned after her briskly retreating form before quickly catching up and falling into pace with her at her side.

"I was wondering," he grinned as he leaned a little closer to her, attempting to put an arm around her shoulders as they walked, but Elena threw it off of herself increased her pace, hissing some empty threats in his direction as she walked. Still unfazed, Reno kept pace with her and leaned close once again, grin only spreading.

"I was wondering if you'd go out with me sometime," he practically purred, and Elena faltered in her step, pausing to look at him suspiciously as she silently prepared herself for the joke.

"What?" her voice was hardly above a whisper, because she was so confused and aggravated that she couldn't get much else out. Reno, satisfied that he finally had her attention, smiled a goofy little smile and stuffed his hands into his pockets, slouching into his relaxed posture as he watched her.

"I want you to go out with me," he repeated in simpler terms, and Elena growled in slight irritation as she thrust an angry hand at him half-heartedly. Reno leaned into the blow and laughed, noting that it didn't have very much force behind it.

"I heard you the first time," she hissed before letting out a sigh of resignation. "Why?"

"Because I like you," his bluntness was starting to get to her, and Elena fought the flustered pink that threatened her composed features. Why would she blush over something like that, anyway? It was Reno, and if she had learned anything through working with the obtrusive, nosy man, it was that he was nothing to blush over.

"I-…no, absolutely not," Elena mentally slapped herself, frustrated at the seeming hesitation in her stammering. She didn't like Reno, she very near despised him, and under no circumstances would she go on a date with him. So why was a small part of her mind considering it?

Instead of waiting around for any more of Reno's ridiculous little annoyances, she quickly ground out one more refusal before disappearing around a corner and into her office, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, but instead of thinking logically, she attributed it to her frustration and quickly seated herself at her desk, getting to work.

If she had stayed for just a moment longer in the hallway, she would have seen the slight look of disappointment that passed over Reno's face, only increased by her walking away in such a definite manner.

The redhead sighed and ran a hand through his hair one more time, looking at the floor like a puppy that had been kicked.

"Well, that was stupid," he muttered to himself, stuffing his hands into his pockets and turning away from the woman's office. "Why even bother asking? You knew she would say no."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **FFVII and respective characters belong to Tetsuya Nomura/Squeenix.

**Author's Note:** Here's another one, though a little more serious than the last two chapters. Sorry about that. D: Anyway, enjoy the chapter. I'll hopefully have another one up soon, but I'm putting these up as I'm writing them, so it could take a little longer. Review please. 3

* * *

About halfway through the day, after Elena had finished the majority of her work, she stood from her desk with a large stretch, intent on taking a break before submitting the final forms she needed to be officially back on the job

About halfway through the day, after Elena had finished the majority of her work, she stood from her desk with a large stretch, intent on taking a break before submitting the final forms she needed to be officially back on the job.

Swinging her door open wide, she exited her office, taking a deep breath as she shut the door behind herself and headed off down the hallway toward the elevators. She paused as she entered the main lobby of the floor, seeing Reno standing by the elevators already, clearly waiting for one to become available. The blonde gave a heavy sigh as she nearly felt her accomplished mood evaporate at the sight of the fiery redhead. However, she continued onward, stopping a bit away from him at the elevator and feeling his gaze on her as she stared patiently at the floor number above the elevator doors.

There was silence for a long moment, the low hum of activity in the lobby the only noise that intercepted the space between them, but after a few careful glances from each, the silence was quickly broken.

"I'm sorry."

The two paused, staring owlishly at one another, the situation having become awkward with their united apology. Reno's face lit up in a look of sheer surprise, eyes wide as he blinked at the blonde.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" he questioned, honest curiosity and obliviousness in his voice. "I'm the one that should be sorry. I mean, with how much I bug you and stuff…"

Elena shook her head quickly, eager to correct her coworker. Neither really noticed the elevator doors open a few people spill out, slipping between the two as they continued to stare at each other.

"I shouldn't have been so…harsh, in my refusal earlier," she offered, albeit a bit grudgingly as she began to question whether or not this was really a good idea. Her suspicions grew when Reno's face lit up with a rather bright and happy expression, grin slowly creeping back across his face.

"So you'll go out with me?" he quickly interjected, tone full of a bubbly hopefulness that Elena had never heard from him before.

"No," she corrected still, and the crestfallen look that replaced the redhead's happiness made Elena's stomach churn with guilt. "I'm still objecting to anything resembling a date with you, Reno. I just wanted to apologize for being so…"

She trailed off, mind searching for a word to describe her actions earlier, other than harsh, because she knew it was more than that. However, she didn't have to search for very long because her coworker was happy to finish her statement for her.

"Bitchy?" Reno offered, a bit of venom in his tone as he tore his gaze away from the blonde and set it onto the opening elevator doors. A few more people exited before Reno entered the elevator and turned to face the woman outside, his expression holding a demeanor and attitude that Elena had never seen on him before. It was slightly startling, she had to admit to herself, to see such a cold and slightly hurt look on Reno's face.

"Now look," she tried to sound scolding as she entered the elevator beside him, but her voice didn't hold as much as conviction as she hoped it would. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything, Reno, I'm just not interested in you like that."

Reno seemed to ignore her speech, instead moving closer to her, his eyes reading of a long-lingering desire that was just now beginning to truly show. Elena felt herself stumble backwards from his approaching form, suddenly finding herself very unsure and slightly nervous.

Hitting the wall with a small exhale, Elena looked up at Reno with a rather unsure expression, sort of searching for a silent explanation, as though it should be written clearly on his face. Instead of offering her any sort of explanation, Reno merely leaned closer, pausing just centimeters from her face and giving a satisfied little smirk as he felt her breathing stop, her breath having hitched in her throat as his lips neared hers.

"Your not interested, huh?" he whispered enticingly, and Elena swore her heart must have skipped a beat when his hot breath hit her lips. The elevator gave a little ding and the doors opened, however Reno stayed for a moment longer, and Elena glanced toward the open doors, hoping that no one on this floor had been waiting for the elevator.

"Reno," she breathed, cursing herself afterward for being so affected by his closeness. All she wanted was to get out of this elevator, get some coffee, and then get back to work, but as usual the fiery redhead was blocking the path to her goal.

"That's what I thought," he grinned softly before pushing off of the wall and exiting the elevator, the bounce in his step rejuvenated. Elena sank to the floor as the elevator doors slid shut once again and it began moving, but the only thing going through the blonde's mind just then was the redhead that had just left.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she whispered to no one, the silence of the empty elevator giving her the answer she was looking for.


End file.
